The Right Hero
by Domomomo
Summary: AU. Centuries ago, Minato Arisato sacrificed himself and became The Seal, locking away Izanami and the Shadows. However, after his death, Izanami was set free. Orpheus could not stop her, but Izanagi can. Souji Seta can. He's our new hope. The right hero.
1. Prologue

_What's this? A longfic? Why yes, yes it is. God, I'm so excited for this. JUST SO YOU KNOW: this story is inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, so expect to see lots of themes from that. Without further ado, enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

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><p>There was peace, once upon a time. It was before I was born, even before my own parents were, but there was peace. But that peace is long gone, and to us such safety is only found in our history textbooks that we read in our fortress-like schools. Why are the schools so heavily guarded?<p>

The Shadows.

The Shadows are what cause us to live in fear, to hide away in houses and "safe zones" at night and on rainy days. The Shadows are what I've seen swallow people whole, and what bring that toxic fog into our world.

It hasn't always been this way, though, as I've already said. There was a time when Shadows were no longer a part of our world. After all, who hasn't heard of the great hero Minato Arisato?

Minato Arisato is a man of legend and of history. We're told that he possessed the power of all Personas, unlike the majority of us. A significantly small part of the population has the power of Persona, the ability to give form to the strength of one's soul. I am one of those few people, and I'm proud of it. My soul's power is named Konohana-Sakuya, and through her I can wield fire. Exciting, right?

But my power… it's so little compared to what Minato Arisato was capable of. Minato Arisato and the Persona Orpheus. I've been told that he and his friends were able to banish Izanami, who lead the Shadows. Well, I suppose "banish" isn't quite the word I'm looking for. Minato Arisato became The Seal, locking away Izanami and the Shadows forever. It's funny how short forever really is. 72 years after he performed the most selfless act, he died, and with his death The Seal was broken. The Shadows slowly consumed our planet, and not a single corner of Earth was safe. Of course, some places are less Shadow-infested than others, but very little of those places exist in Japan, the origin of the Shadows. People have tried to move to such places, but wherever people are, Shadows follow. They thrive off of the suffering of humans and pay little heed to other creatures.

Inaba is definitely no exception from the Shadow occupation, small as it is, mainly due to how close it is to Tatsumi Port Island, where the first Shadows were born.

A lot of us have no choice but to stay here. After leaving, where could we go? Tokyo is packed beyond capacity and the Shadows have overtaken it like the plague, and how could we pay for such a venture? Everything is so expensive these days, and very few people, even fewer than the number of Persona users, are able to afford such an uncertain journey. The only things us citizens of Inaba really have is… well, each other. We rely on each other to keep the economy thriving, paying for goods and in turn paying for more goods, passing travelers contributing more money by staying at my family's inn as a safe haven for the night. We are considered one of the safest inns in all of Japan, actually, my family putting as much money into making our building Shadow-proof as is available and attracting quite a bit of business.

Still, even while having a relatively safe home, I wish the Shadows were gone. Chie, Yosuke, and I often wonder if a new hero will appear someday, another person who has mastery over all Personas. The three of us are Persona users, but none of us can control anything but the one we have. Chie and I like to think that the new hero will be every kind of handsome and charming, Yosuke always contributing with a scoff and how _he_ hopes it will be a woman with large breasts and an unquenchable lust for him. Chie always laughs and informs Yosuke that no woman in her right mind would be attracted to him, to which he replies that he had tons of girlfriends back in the city, and we laugh again because we both know this is a complete lie.

Despite the joking, though, we really do long for a savior, a new Minato Arisato.

But sometimes I wonder, was Minato Arisato really a savior? A terrible thing to say, I know, but it's not actually him that I question. I question Orpheus. I've read the tales, the one of Eurydice's death and Orpheus's unintentional betrayal. It's a tragic story, really. Eurydice dies and descends into the Underworld, Orpheus chasing after her and pleading with Hades to let him bring her back to the world of the living. Hades agrees with a condition: Orpheus may lead Eurydice out of the Underworld, but must not look back until they were in the realm of life again. A glance backward changed everything; he looked back a step too early and realized his mistake a second too late, Eurydice disappearing forever.

Some philosophers say that the Eurydice that followed after Orpheus was actually an illusion created by Persephone, leaving an enraged Eurydice to stay in the Underworld and hate Orpheus for all of eternity, furious by how little he cared for her, that he was unwilling to die to be with her. He was a coward, and he hadn't realized what an evil creature she'd become by dying, and in turn did not realize she still existed.

Orpheus and Eurydice. Izanagi-no-Okami and Izanami-no-Okami. A Greek myth and a Japanese myth, both telling the same heart-wrenching story, but with one difference: Izanagi-no-Okami saw Izanami-no-Okami for what she had become and made sure she would never return to our world, that she would remain in death. Izanami-no-Okami tried with all her might to catch Izanagi-no-Okami, clawing with rotting fingers at the boulder between them and promising to destroy 1,000 men every day if he left her. Izanagi-no-Okami left his former lover with his own promise: should she destroy 1,000 people every day, he would bring 1,500 to life every day. Izanami-no-Okami howled with rage, unable to fool him into releasing her, and so she remained in the Underworld, cursing death upon 1,000 humans daily, Izanagi-no-Okami bringing up more in their place.

Orpheus was a fool, unable to see that Eurydice's death was but an illusion, and thus leaving her in a state that she might someday return to the world. Maybe that's why the Shadows still exist. The wrong hero came forth to stop Izanami, and now she has escaped her assumed fate and is destroying what so many hold dear.

We don't need Orpheus; we need Izanagi-no-Okami.

When will you come to save us, Izanagi?

When?


	2. Fool Arcana: Fortune 1

_God, I wrote this chapter faaaaast. Also, to address the numerous questions I've gotten: I don't plan to address all plot points in the first few chapters, let alone the first few Arcana arcs. So questions about Nyx and who does what are topics you'll have to wait for to be answered. Just know that Domo's got it all planned out. ;D Still, feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like via review or PM and I'll answer as best as I can! Without spoilers, that is. Also, as much as I hate asking things like this, please review! This story is a pretty big deal to me, seeing as though it has a lot more depth and detailed plots than others, not to mention it's multichaptered. I love this story, but my drive to type it up and share it tends to lack when I'm not getting feedback. I want to know people are reading it and engaged, you know? Again, I hate asking stuff like this, but for a big project like this I need support from others. That's all I can think of to say. Please enjoy the first chapter! (:_

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><p><strong>THE FOOL ARCANA: FORTUNE ONE<strong>_  
><em>

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><p>Souji sighed, slumping in his seat as he watched the valley scenery pass by his window. His iPod earbuds blocked out the noise of other passengers –thank God, because that kid a couple seats up was seriously loud—and the clacking of the train's wheels rolling along the tracks. The peace was wonderful, giving his mind enough clarity so he could recall the event that led to his current situation.<p>

"_Sure thing... Okay, I love you. Bye."_

_Souji looked up as he heard his mother approaching the living area, prompting him to sit up straight before she could scold him for his bad posture. "Who was that? Dad?"_

"_No, my brother," she replied as she sat herself next to Souji, sighing contentedly when she stretched her tense muscles. "We were talking about you, actually."_

_Souji turned to his mother in bewilderment. He hadn't seen Uncle Dojima in years aside from photos in Christmas cards. Why would they be talking about him? "Really? What about me? Seems kind of random."_

"_Not really." His mother turned her eyes upward, trying to find the best way to approach the topic smoothly. "So… how would you feel about visiting your uncle and cousin in Inaba for a year?" She cringed mentally at her wording. So much for 'smooth'._

_He processed her words carefully, furrowing his brow in confusion. "A year? Why?"_

_She rested her hand on his shoulder in a way only mothers do, looking as conflicted as she was feeling. "There's been a recent spike in the Shadow population in Inaba, and because of your uncle's work he can't be at home to watch Nanako a lot of the time. He needs someone he can trust to be there when he isn't, and since you're a Persona user you'd be a good candidate for the job." Souji's mother looked at her son with worried yet pleading eyes, clearly unsure of what she wished his answer to be. "So what do you think, Souji?"_

_Now it was Souji's turn to look conflicted, his eyes glancing from the left to the right as if weighing his options. He would be leaving his friends, family, and home for an entire year. But really, a year wasn't too long, Souji reasoned with himself, and it wasn't as if he couldn't contact them. It was also a good opportunity to get to know his relatives so it wouldn't be awkward when they saw each other at family reunions, and how on earth could he just leave his little cousin by herself? There was really only one answer._

"_When will I be leaving?"_

Souji flinched as he was pulled from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder, removing his earbuds and focusing on the smiling attendant.

"We'll be arriving at the station soon. It didn't look like you heard the announcement, so I just thought I'd let you know."

She left after he mumbled a word of thanks, Souji stretching and slipping his iPod into his backpack.

"I guess it's time to get ready."

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><p>"Maaaan, this is totally lame! I can't believe they closed the Zone at Junes!" Chie rolled her eyes when Yosuke slumped against the wall, lamenting all that was unfair. "Seriously, what's there to do at the train station? Nothing. I'm going to die of boredom."<p>

"It's better than getting eaten by Shadows. And there's places to eat here too," Yukiko reasoned, emphasizing her point by waving around her kebab.

Yosuke whined loudly. "But it's not even _raining_. Why are they even outside when it's not raining? And it's the afternoon! This sucks."

Chie scoffed, rolling her eyes yet again. "Just get over it. It's bad enough without your whining."

"Uuuuugh." Yosuke dragged his hands down his face in agony. "I hate everything."

"Still, it is pretty weird that the Shadows are out this early. I wonder what's going on." Yosuke and Chie hummed in agreement, frowns claiming their faces.

"Do you think they're gonna swarm?" Yosuke wondered aloud, disdain painting his tone. "Because it would _really_ suck if one got in the house again. Did you know that my dad made me pay for the lamp Jiraiya broke? It was like 4,000 yen!"

"We _know_. You've told us like five times, moron."

Further conversation was halted as a deafening horn blared, signaling that the midday train had arrived.

"Sheesh, that thing's so loud. This is why I hate the train station," Yosuke hollered, unable to overpower the train's noises without shouting. Finally, it came to a complete stop, uniformed attendants standing at the doors as they slid open, ushering out the passengers. The occurrence was common enough to be uninteresting, proven by the way Yosuke turned back to his friends with a jaded quality to his voice. "So anyway, about how bogus this whole thing is—"

They were interrupted yet again by a feminine shriek, a woman running ragged through the station square. "Shadows! Th-There's Shadows coming into the Zone!" Others began to scream in terror when her words were proven true, a large horde of Shadows oozing into the safe zone. Pandemonium broke out immediately, parents dragging their children inside nearby buildings and train passengers dashing madly to find safety.

Yosuke growled in frustration, pulling a blue card from his back pocket. "Shit, they're in this one too? What the hell is going on?"

"Who cares, just get rid of them before they get any closer!" The trio raced toward the invading Shadows, cards at the ready and battle stances assumed.

Nodding with a determined expression on her face, Yukiko raised her card, crushing it and causing it to shatter as if made of glass. "Come! Konohana Sakuya!" Suddenly, a large pink and white figure manifested in front of them in a flurry of blossoms, radiating pure might and beauty. "Cast Agilao!" A bloom of fire consumed a small group of Shadows, the beasts howling in agony as their skin boiled and peeled until they died, vanishing in a shroud of black.

Yosuke smirked at the girl beside her. "Awesome, Yukiko! Now, let's do this, Jiraiya!" A surge of adrenaline flowed through Yosuke as he watched his Persona appear, eager for the upcoming battle. "These guys won't know what hit 'em!"

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><p>Shadows were everywhere.<p>

This was the first thing Souji noticed as he stepped off the train, chaos exploding around him as people ran blindly, their only goal to escape before the Shadows could devour them. His eyes immediately set to searching for other Persona users, spotting a group of three trying to hold off an especially large wave of monsters. Without another thought, Souji threw his luggage at a random station employee with an order of "hold this" as he rushed into action, pulling a card from his pocket, and getting into place by the others. At first the group of three looked like they were about to yell at him to escape, but the order died on their throats as a glow emitted from the blue shards of his Persona card.

"Izanagi! Mazionga!"

A sudden roll of thunder cracked above them, signaling an abrupt explosion of visible electricity to rain down from the sky upon the unsuspecting Shadows a symphony of feral screeches could be heard through the clash of thunder, the lightning striking a large gathering of Shadows and pulsing through them until they burst, disintegrating into darkness as their fallen allies had.

Souji narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, a thrill racing down his spine as he commanded his Persona.

"Now, Cleave!"

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><p>Yukiko's eyes widened in shock, transfixed on the embodiment of power and god of creation. It couldn't be.<p>

It was him.

"_Izanagi._"


	3. Fool Arcana: Fortune 2

_And so the plot thickens. Can you guess who the characters in this chapter are? I think they're pretty obvious, but feel free to tell me who you think they are. I'm going to try updating once a week, which is happening pretty easily, surprisingly. I'm cranking out chapters like nobody's business (this one was actually written about a week ago). Without further ado, enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW! Your questions and thoughts really drive me to keep going._

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><p><strong>THE FOOL ARCANA: FORTUNE TWO<strong>

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><p>"Orpheus!"<p>

Brilliant blue eyes shot open as the boy sat up, his breath heavy and his posture rigid. He is called the boy because he had no name that he could recall; his only certainty being the yellow scarf around his neck. His eyes darted about, taking in the endless white, white that startled him because for reasons unknown _he_ knew that this place was anything but pure.

He heard the chuckling only seconds before a cold hand began sifting through his raven hair, the dark and motherly lilt of the voice soothing him, yet at the same time spurring more confusion.

He looked up at her, uncertain once again, before softly murmuring, "Orpheus?" The word was foreign to his ears, but felt right at home on his tongue.

Again she laughed, the sound hollow despite the mirth it seemed to hold. "No, child, Orpheus isn't here. Izanagi, however…" she trailed off.

The boy looked at her in wonder. "Izanagi?" This time the word was foreign to both his tongue and ears.

"You will learn," the woman comforted, removing her hand from his hair. "But for now, sleep."

"But... who am I?"

Her smile softened. "You are mine, son of Nyx."


	4. Fool Arcana: Fortune 3

_Hey guys! Welcome to chapter three! So awesome. Is everyone getting my review replies? Because I'm sending them out to everyone, but my Outbox is saying that some of them aren't even existent. Let me know if you're getting them? Also, I'd like to thank the Hetalia and Persona fandoms for keeping the characters in character. I tried to read some Kingdom Hearts fanfics and they were... terrible. Terribly out of character. Your writing spoils me, guys! Seriously, I dare you to go try reading one. You won't even recognize the characters. Sad. ): So, without further ado, ENJOY AND REVIEW!_

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><p><strong>THE FOOL ARCANA: FORTUNE THREE<strong>

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><p>"Protect me, Tomoe!" Chie cried, crushing her card and bringing forth her Persona. "Mabufu!" The female samurai lifted her hand, sending a whirlwind of icicles flying at the last mob of Shadows and knocking each of them off their feet. (Depending on which creature you were looking at, that is. Truthfully, the majority of them were shapeless piles of sludge with white masks and strange little arms, but the point was that they were no longer ready to pounce.) After a doing a little cheer Chie turned to her fellow Persona users, eyes glowing with pride. "Alright, guys! Pile on! Ready?" She waited for each to give her confirmation before turning back to the enemy, a wide smirk claiming her face. "Let's do it!"<p>

All at once the group rushed the Shadows screaming various battle cries, the brawl kicking up clouds of dust that nearly blinded the teenagers. Despite the fact they fought with naught but their bare hands the darkness was vanquished, the air clearing just in time for them to see the Shadows dissolve in a shroud of black.

Chie grinned triumphantly, dusting off her hands on the fabric of her skirt and stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Huh, I guess that does it! Great job, guys!" There was no reply, however, the others watching in wonder as a blue card drifted down from what seemed to be thin air, then splitting into five and beginning to dance around their nameless new companion.

"Dude, are those… Persona cards?" Yosuke asked in disbelief, his eyes following a card that was moving particularly fast.

The other boy looked just as baffled as the rest of them, his gaze narrowed as he focused the whole of his attention on the floating cards. After a short while, he reached out a cautious hand toward the small deck, grasping a single card in his firm grip. No sooner had he done this the other four cards vanished in a shower of sparkles, leaving him with the single card. Curiously, he flipped it over, an entirely new swell of confusion painting his expression.

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><p><em>The Persona Apsaras has emerged from the sea of your soul<em>

Souji started at the unfamiliar voice, his head whipping all around to find its source, only finding three pairs of wide eyes fixed on him.

"What just happened…?"

"You tell us!" the other boy blurted frantically, gesturing wildly at Souji. "You're the one that has Persona cards coming out of nowhere!"

"Well it's never happened before!" It hadn't. In his life, Souji had battled a grand total of three Shadows, and never before had a deck of cards started swarming around him or an ominous voice speaking in his mind. The whole situation was bizarre, not to mention unnerving. He began staring at 'Apsaras' again, prompting the three strangers to wander over to him curiously.

The other boy focused on the blue card as well, his face scrunched up in thought. "So that's a Persona, right? Lemme see it." Without requesting permission, the other boy attempted to snatch the card, his hand only fazing through it. The teen's face paled, rapidly swiping his hand through it again and again to assure this was actually happening.

Finally fed up with his stupidity, the girl in the green jacket snatched the boy's wrist, halting its movements. "Stop being an idiot, Yosuke. You don't just try to take stuff from people you don't know." Even through her reprimand her voice was still tense, but she did her best to cover it as she turned to Souji, smile wide. "Hey! I'm Chie Satonaka!" She extended her hand toward Souji who took it politely, surprised that a girl could have such a firm handshake. "The moron over here is Yosuke, and she's my best friend Yukiko!" Chie beamed, inclining her head toward the other girl. "What's your name?"

"Souji Seta," he recited, still utterly bewildered by the odd turn of events. "Nice to meet you guys."

"Same to you," Chie replied, her stance less rigid and more relaxed than it had been just moments ago. "So Souji, I was wondering, uhm…" Chie rubbed her neck distractedly. "Can I try holding the card?" Souji gave a nod of consent and she moved her arm hesitantly, her hand fazing through just as Yosuke's had before. "Wow, that's weird. Can we not hold anyone else's Persona cards?"

Yukiko shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, I've never tried. Here." She held her card out to Chie, her hand garnering the same result. "I guess not."

"Then how can he have two?" Yosuke asked in frustration, vocalizing what all of them had been wondering.

"Your Persona's name is Izanagi, right?" Yukiko ventured, an almost hopeful look in her eyes.

Souji was completely puzzled, put off by the seemingly random question. "Yeah, why?"

Gasping in realization, Chie turned to Yukiko, her voice nearly breathless as her brain processed at a mile a minute. "Wait, Yukiko. Do you think it might be him?"

"I think so. Maybe that's why the Shadows came out so early. Like… they knew he was coming."

Yosuke stared at the girls quizzically before what they were discussing finally dawned on him, an impatient groan pouring from his lips. "Are you talking about that 'Izanagi and Izanami' bullshit again? How many times do I have to tell you there's _no way_ something like that could happen?"

The two glared at him, Chie huffing indignantly and stomping her foot. "It could too! You're just too dumb to realize it!"

"As if! Stuff like that doesn't happen! This guy isn't the new Persona master!"

"But he _could_ be the new Persona master."

Souji's eyes darted back and forth between the opposing groups. "Excuse me," he cut in, "but what are you guys talking about?"

Heads turned towards him yet again, surprised by his sudden question.

"You know who Minato Arisato is, right?" Souji nodded at Yukiko. "We think you're the new Persona user that can control all Personas."

"_They_ think," Yosuke scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "If you really are the new Persona master you'd be able to get more, right?"

Chie hopped from foot to foot excitedly, her sense of adventure taking over. "Ooh, let's go out tonight and see if he can!"

"Why don't we meet up at the school Zone later? We can decide where to go from there."

Souji watched the trio chatter and plan amongst themselves, completely lost as to what was going on.

Suddenly, Chie looked over at him, announcing, "We're gonna meet up at the Zone at Yasogami High School at 7:00 tonight. See ya then, Souji!"

With that the group ran off in a direction that presumably led to their houses, Souji left standing in the middle of the station square.

…Where was the school?

"Hey, you Souji?"

Souji turned around when he was addressed, spotting an older man with a five-o-clock shadow that he immediately recognized as his uncle, trailing behind him a little girl that could only be Nanako. He waited for the pair to reach him, willing his body to relax. "Nice to see you again, Uncle Dojima," Souji greeted, giving a respectful nod.

"Hey, no need to be so formal!" Dojima replied, grabbing Souji's hand roughly in much the same way Chie had. His handshake was very telling of the kind of person his uncle was, Souji realized— confident and frank. "You're going to be living here for a while, so don't be afraid to get comfortable. And here…" Dojima looked around, smirking in an oddly fatherly way and pulling his shy daughter out from behind him, "is Nanako."

Nanako looked up at her cousin with an unsure smile, nervous to be finally meeting Souji. "Hi," she greeted quietly, fiddling with the sleeves of her turtleneck.

He couldn't help the soft grin that fell on his face at her adorability, squatting so he could be level with her and hopefully less intimidating. "Nice to meet you, Nanako." A chuckle escaped Souji's mouth at her embarrassed noise. "Let's get along, okay?"

"O-Okay."

"We parked the car in the lot," Dojima informed him. "Where's your luggage?"

Souji's face remained blank for a moment, uttering a "hmm" as he directed his gaze at the steps that led to the station. "I left my backpack and bag with one of the attendants." He conveniently excluded the fact that his version of 'left with the attendant' was actually 'threw it at the poor man in a rush', mainly because it would give his relatives a terrible impression of him.

His uncle frowned. "Why'd you do that?"

"There was a mob, so I had to jump in."

Dojima's eyebrows shot up in response. "There were Shadows here too? This is the second Zone they've attacked today."

"_Like… they knew he was coming."_

Yukiko's words echoed in his mind, only adding to the sense of foreboding that had overtaken him. He hadn't even been in Inaba for an hour, and already he was being led into the unknown.

"Well it's good to hear you can fight. You'll have to tell me about it in the car. Let's go get your bags and head home; your futon's all set up, so you should get some sleep. It seems like you need it."

Souji nodded tiredly, the mere mention of a futon waiting for him causing his eyelids to droop. As he scaled the stairs he caught sight of a lightboard proclaiming "WELCOME TO INABA" in red digital letters. He grinned wryly.

Welcome, indeed.


End file.
